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Part II of a Furry Speculative Fiction novel that takes place in a hypothical universe where Germany won World War I. This chapter takes place five years after Konrad Wagner and William Hopkins originally meet on board the RMS Lusitania, and have another chance meeting with the mysterious cougar ...

**_Ein Wolf in der Falz

Chapter II - A Red Scare_**

_November 4th, 1920

Vienna, Austria_

As Konrad made his way through the cramp streets of Vienna his hind feet slipped a few times in the occasional pocket of deep snow. White flakes of ice swirled about his black lupine ears to dust the hard icy cobblestones under his boots. In his passing, his grimy trouser cuffs left streaks of black in the standing banks. The wolf pulled his fur lined coat closer to himself as the bitter wind whistled through the narrow eves above him.

Despite the early winter's chill settling into the heart of Austria, rows of vendors along the bustling street stood sentinel near their carts. Thin wisps of steam rose up from underneath their lids. The scent of their delicious contents waifed up into the wolf's keen nostrils. Konrad fished a Mark out of one of his pockets and approached one of the Würstelstands.

"Was kann ich fur ihnen abholen?" the donkey behind the cart asked. Konrad extended two paw tips.

"Zwei Bratwurst, ohne Sauerkraut, mit Brötchen" Konard waited until the vendor fished the steaming sausages before handing over the note. The donkey gave him some Pfennigs in change. "Danke."

Konrad tucked them into his thick coat to keep them warm. He hurried home, ducking through the busy crowds making their way through the bustling capitol. A giant clock above the cobbled street bonged five o'clock. Its reverberating dongs echoed through the capitol. The last rays of the falling winter sun colored its crowded streets a fiery orange. The wolf slipped through a back alley to save time, finding himself in a poorer neighborhood. Old weathered males stood by small pot fires, warming their paws and smoking cheap zigaretten, laughing with each other.

Despite the mild recession from the war, Austrian workers were in a good mood this year. Durable goods exports from Germany and Hungry to Britain were back on the rebound. Even with the economic concessions Germany forced on the Entente, trade in Europe boomed again. The Habsburg Empire's locally produced tractors fetched a high price from farmers and miners in occupied France. Since its allied victory with Germany, the Austrian-Hungry autarky now opened up to new market opportunities.

The wolf ducked into a snow dusted stairway before making his way up. His heavy factory boots clomped on the thick wood. He paused at the top of the narrow stairway to fish out a iron key and unlocked the apartment door. Konrad stepped inside to a warm fire and a dimly lit but cozy home.

"?Willkommen zurück." William smiled up at him as he continued setting the table for dinner. A few lit candles dotted what sparse second hand furniture they could afford.

"Working on your German I see. It's better." Konrad grinned back, his ivory fangs glinting in the fire light with pride at the coyote.

"Danke." The coyote placed the last of the silverware and then slipped over to the wolf. He pecked Konrad on his muzzle lips before helping the wolf with his coat. William smirked at the bread wrapped sausages. "Nathan's Famous Coney Dog. How American." The wolf gave the coyote a playful shove.

"Miss America that much? Should we move back?" Konrad sat down at the table while William fished about in their icebox. The coyote gave no reply. The wolf wondered if he offended his mate somehow. With the quarantine, no one could sail in or out of North America.

"What will you drink love?" William asked, his bushy gray and black tail swishing a bit. If the coyote was upset, it didn't show.

"A lager will be fine, William." The wolf's ears perked up when the coyote looked back to glare at him.

"I told you, its Will." He pulled out a cold pint as well as a chilled bottle of red wine before seating himself.

"You never cared before." The wolf grabbed the dark brew and scooted it across the scuffed table closer to himself. "What's with the sudden change these past few weeks?"

"Well, William is just so ... effeminate." The coyote blushed a bit before nibbling at the wolf's sausage. Konrad slid his paw over to rub his mate's slender wrist.

"And this is a problem why?" The wolf laughed until a kick to his shins under the table silenced him. They ate in silence for a while, the soft roar of the heath fire next to them comforting as the cruel winter wind whistled past their thin wooden walls. While their dinner was small, they were thankful to have something on the table tonight.

"So, whats the occasion?" Konrad mumbled out through a muzzle full of brat, noting the wine and candles. The coyote stopped eating for a moment before drumming his claws into the table. The wolf swallowed, a loud sound that seemed more like an open air gulp. "Did I forget it again?" The wolf asked, ears folded. William just nodded, but then shrugged.

"I understand. I know the seven day work weeks get long."

"I'm sorry love. I promise to bring flowers next year."

The coyote poked at his leftover bun and listened to the empty promise. A lot had happened in the past five years. He knew Konrad did his best to provide for them both and put him through school. Still, a small part of the coyote wondered if their anniversary meant as much to the wolf as it did to him.

It was a bittersweet day. William had gained a mate but lost an uncle. The young wolf across the table swallowed a gulp of lager before breaking the silence. They must had been thinking the same thing.

"Are you going to England this year to visit your Uncle's grave?" Konrad picked at the crumbs on his plate. He thought back to that cold November day. He spent most of it holding the grieving coyote. It was one thing to have William's extended family disown him, another to lose the only family member who accepted William's coming out.

It was a day that lived on in historical infamy. That November day someone mailed photographs of the Lusitania's clandestine cargo to several key influential Americans. The secret war contraband sparked outrage among the isolationist nation. President Wilson declared in a furious speech that King George and Great Britain had deceived America and put its citizens within harms way of Europe's war.

America, he said, would not enter the Great War on Britain's behalf.

Uncle Albert received those photographs as well. A few hours later the innkeeper found the coyote hanging by a noose from one of the rafters in his room. To steady his nephew, Konrad pledged his love and commitment to William, forever. Together they left war exhausted Britain to start a new life in Germany. That had been five years ago.

The Great War ended as most expected it to. The great Empire of Germany-Austria-Hungry consolidated its new territories of France, Belgium, and parts of the disintegrating Ottoman Empire. An exhausted Great Britain sued for peace, unable to control the seas. Russia reached an uneasy truce on the stalled Eastern Front.

While Italy had initially waffled between the joining the Triple Entente or staying loyal to the Triple Alliance, Germany's naval triumphs in the North Sea campaign convinced Italy that she could best serve her own interests by maintaining a naval blockade of the Mediterranean. Her ground war mimicked the blockade, largely defensive, and Italy sent little reinforcements to aid Austria-Hungry in its campaign in the Balkans.

Military analysts concluded that Italy's territorial losses to Austria-Hungry after the Congress of Vienna had sown resentment for the weak allegiance, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Austria-Hungry. In the years following the Great War, resentment and distrust only grew deeper between the two expanding Empires.

Following its strong defense of the Balkan Southern Front, Serbia remained largely intact; a thorn in the Central Powers otherwise narrow military triumph. Had Germany convinced Bulgaria to cede on the side of the Central Powers, the Austrian-Hungry army would have found a strong ally in the Balkans. Instead the Austrian army decimated itself against Serbian artillery during the Battle of Kolubara. Despite Austria-Hungry occupation of Belgrade, the Balkan Southern Front stalled without Bulgarian support.

"No. There's no money for it." William rested his forehead against his furry knuckles using a braced elbow for support. The coyote looked weary. More weary than even Konrad, who had just got off from a twelve hour shift in a local factory, building diesel engines for the new OE Benz Sendling tractors. While the hours were long, at least he had found work after his mechanic's apprenticeship. Konrad's mate grabbed the dishes before dropping them off near the cleaning bucket. "Let me fill you a bath. You look filthy."

Konrad watched his mate disappear with a rusty pail back outside. A few minutes later he returned with a pail full of frigid water filled from the neighborhood corner's water pump. After dumping its cold contents into a wash tub, the coyote repeated twice while the wolf stripped out of his grease and smoke stained work clothes. William picked up four granite stones sitting in the hearth with a pair of tongs. He dropped them in the icy water with a loud hiss of steam.

Konrad grinned as William herded his naked furry form into the warm water. The loving coyote grabbed a brush and a bar of lye before going to work on the sore pads of his hind feet. The German wolf almost fell asleep from it until the coyote dunked his head into the cooling water, going to work on the build up of grease behind his black lupine ears. The wolf sputtered, but otherwise relented.

He knew better than to pick a fight with the feisty coyote.

Once the hard work was done, William lathered up Konrad's black fur with soap. His paws took longer this time, playfully feeling their way between the wolf's legs and under his oil matted tail. Once William had finished torturing the wolf to his satisfaction, they retired to their twin sized bed. Underneath the poorly stitched quilt they sipped the last of the red wine.

"So. Why don't you go to work in one of the vineyards?" Konrad asked, his eyelids heavy with exhaustion and alcohol. "It would be more suitable work for a pretty yote like you."

Konrad grinned as his mate gave out an indignant growl, flipped him on his belly, and pounced him. The wolf's own growl of pleasure rumbled out his partially opened muzzle as the coyote's fangs found their way into the fur and flesh of his backside. What they lacked in gentleness they made up for in raw animal passion.

That was Konrad's dirty little trick for getting William to take the reigns. In a way, William's easy to stroke temper reminded him of his old Irish shipmate, Miles. The wolf's eyes closed in sudden pain as the coyote's fangs dug into his tail base.

"Hey! Easy back there!" Konrad batted William's muzzle with his lupine tail before the yote pulled it to the side and pinned it against the wolf's broad shoulders.

The wolf's ears pinned back against his skull as the coyote's long tongue lapped at his exposed pucker. He gave a long drawn out whine at the unexpected, sensual sensation. His eyelid's fluttered with pleasure, the corners of his muzzle lips pulled up in a grimace of bliss. His mate didn't waste any time in pushing the moist tapered tip of his coyote cock into his tight ring.

Konrad moaned out, paws clutching the rungs of the headboard. He felt his love shove his long shaft deep inside with little preparation. The wolf's fangs gritted, a snarl escaping from his lips now at the rough rut. William hilted him, his own fangs finding his bitch's scuff. It drove the wolf wild.

The coyote mashed his hips against the wolf's buttocks, forcing his growing knot to grind hard into his lover's prostate. William pulled out slowly, but only for a moment, before arching his back forward and pile driving himself into the Machiavellian wolf. Konrad's entire body jolted from the hard slam, the length trapped between the bed and his belly spurting a sudden gush of precum. The coyote rode the wolf hard now, each slam sending his bulging knot grinding into the wolf's quivering insides.

Konrad's claws dug into the faded finish of the headboards, his pinned body ground back and forth against the damp sheets. He knew he wouldn't last long against this brutal ravage. But he didn't expect to. They were young after all. Virile and in their prime. A short rest and Konrad would return William the sultry favor.

The two twenty year olds fucked each other long into the anniversary night.

November 8th, 1920

William glanced up at the spans of steel and mortar above him, eying the radian of their curves with a fastidious gleam. He looked down at his homework and marked off some measurements with a Bevel protractor. When he was done he closed his heavy book, trapping the paper between its sturdy binding. While architecture was not his specialty, the mechanical engineering used to create the Hofburg theater fascinated him. William turned to his study partner and thanked him for bringing him here.

"Bis Morgen, Älter Wolf." William said. The charismatic and quiet lupine gave the coyote a courteous nod before returning to his painting. William took off and hurried through the crowded streets. Konrad worked late tonight, so he decided to spend some time down at the Danube watching the barges pass by on their way to Budapest, laden down with ore.

He missed his family's business. But there was no chance of returning to America and retaking the reigns back. With the outbreak of the Kansas Flu during the Second Mexican-American War of 1916, the international community quarantined North America as a precaution against its deadly spread. While millions upon millions of American soldiers died, the rampant disease struck at the able bodied and working. America's industrial and maritime influence crumbled before the pandemic. His family's business, like most of the ships they had built, scuttled.

Though William missed America, he could not deny that Vienna provided him with opportunity. Arguably the central hub of influence for all of Europe, Vienna's culture and science rivaled that of previous cities like Alexandria. Der Wiener Kreis continued to expand, spreading their philosophical and empirical influence across the world. He could think of no where else where so many museums and universities existed with such density.

Because of his difficulty with German, the faculty at the Technische Universität Wien made special accommodations for him. Despite the finical help and humanitarian backing for being an American refuge, Konrad still worked his calloused paw tips to the bone to put him through technical college. Another year and William would graduate with a technical degree in mechanical engineering.

If he managed to stay in school that long, however.

On the way down to the Handelskai pier the coyote took in the wondrous sights of the tightly packed homes around him. While small and quaint, their unbroken artistic facades implied centuries of well honed architectural design. The sky was clear; the chilly air brisk. No one seemed to be in a particular hurry to get home from work today, and instead lingered outside to enjoy the sunny day. Home owners shoveled and swept the remains of winter's first snowfall from their steps.

William rounded a corner and stopped at the unexpected sight of a full blown riot breaking out in the streets. He blinked, gawking at the all out brawl. The coyote felt like a witness to a train derailment in progress, his numb mind unable to move the idle muscles in his body. Someone flung a board and it whizzed by his ear. A sea of violence wavered before him.

It took him a while to realize who was fighting. Only after noticing that a few factory workers carried sickle and hammer banners did the coyote realize that he had wandered into an impromptu communist rally. Members of the nationalist party, dressed in plain clothes, had infiltrated the protest and begun a riot. A badger and a ferret scuffling with each other pushed past him, forcing him into the side of a building.

With Russia and its Tsars falling before the worker's uprising, a red scare spread throughout the remaining Empires. The Ottoman Empire had already crumbled. Which would be next?

Despite its rich culture and prestigious history, Vienna fostered an environment ripe with conflicting ideologies. Here in the packed streets political unrest festered despite the Habsburg Empire's victory. The common worker laboring seven days for pittance demanded change. William slid against the brick wall toward a cafe entranceway, hoping to avoid a stray blow in the clashes around him. The whistles of the alerted Vienna police blew in the distance. William slipped inside the cafe unnoticed. He didn't want to be arrested for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

While the political mobs bashed each other outside, those inside continued on with their business. The gentle murmur of conversation filled the small shoppe. Protests like the ones outside were not all that uncommon in these turbulent times. Only the gruff ursine owner stood vigil over the cafe near the window, beating his massive paw with a mallet. He just replaced the glass last month after a similar incident. The bear glanced hard down at William before returning his eyes back to the window. The coyote scampered past the towering owner.

William climbed up onto a stool before opening his book, pretending to study. He didn't know how long it would take before someone shooed him out. Hopefully long enough for the police to disperse the angry mob. He tried to catch his breath, a shaky paw tip turning page after unread page. Out of the indistinct murmur of overlapping conversation, one caught his ear.

One in English, and not in German.

"So you are certain he is my grandson?"

"Yes, Herr Wagner. There is no doubt." William's ears perked. Not at the last name. Konrad's last name was as ubiquitous around here as Smith was back in Jersey. No, William recognized a dark rumble he had not heard since last crossing the Atlantic. His paws, once calmed, trembled again and he slowly turned his head to peer behind him.

"And you can see to it that he will return our name to its former glory?" William spied a wizened black wolf talking to a familiar yellow cougar. No one else in the cafe seemed to take interest in their odd little parley, or maybe they just couldn't understand it.

"Your indiscretion during the Bruderkrieg will be all but forgotten. I've seen him this far from England back to Austria. He's in good paws."

The cougar with the British accent nodded his head lightly, as if what he said was a forgone conclusion. The wolf bit his lower muzzle lip a bit before taking out a fat envelope and placing it on the table before them. For whatever reason the old wolf seemed to know the cougar, but yet not completely trust him. The cougar smiled and scooped up the bulging letter. He slipped it into a very similar vest pocket. For all the coyote knew, the feline could have worn the very same finely cut upper class gray suit.

Yes. It was the same suit. The same black armband encircled his right bicep sleeve, shimmering in the overhead lamps. Maybe it was made of silk and not some odd type of metal fabric.

"Guten Tag." The old wolf nodded before slipping off his stool from the high table. He shambled away with marked stiffness, past the coyote and out the cafe door despite the police beatings outside. The grizzled officer didn't seem worried in the slightest, and navigated the urban war zone with unsettling grace. William watched out the front window in his seat until the wolf disappeared around a brick corner. He turned back to the cougar.

As if on cue the cougar pulled out the golden time piece again. He tapped a sharp claw on its glass, setting pace with its 'tick tick tick'. After a while William mustered the courage to slip off his stool and make his way over to the table. He didn't bother keeping his shoes from squeaking on the mosaic tiled floor.

"Good Evening Will." The cougar smiled at him as the coyote placed himself in front of the table. There was an awkward pause before the cougar continued. "I hope I don't need to ask it."

William sat down across from him just as a hostess set down two cups before them with a soft clink of ceramic on stone. The strong scents of chamomile tea and mocha drifted up to his keen canid nostrils. His green eyes skittered from the steaming cups to stare nervously at the calm feline who pocketed his watch. The cougar hooked a claw into the handle of his coffee cup and brought the creamy beverage up to his cracked muzzle lips. He closed his sharp feline eyes and rumbled with contentment.

"Just like I remember." His yellow eyes opened and looked back at the coyote's own. "You see Will, I enjoy a good drink from the Middle East as well."

"Who are you? No more games. And don't say its not important."

"Oh heavens no. That was a different time. And even though Turkish courts contemplate the Assyrian and Armenian genocides as we speak, ours is not a pressing matter." The cougar smiled, a thin grin that hid a hint of cruelty. The coyote blinked.

"Genie ... sides?" William stammered out, lost as he always had been with the older gentleman. He felt so small, so infantile when next to the stoic feline.

"My name is Drake. It's good to finally sit down and talk with you, Will." He set down his cup onto the table and crossed his arms, but didn't offer a paw to shake. Despite his intimate knowledge of the coyote, he seemed oddly distant.

"Why do you call me that?"

"It's what you prefer to be called, is it not?" When William didn't respond, Drake nodded to his tea. "It's getting cold, Will. Better drink up. Would it help your stomach if you ate something? A croissant maybe?" Before he had even finished the sentence the hostess had dropped off it off on in from of them on her way past. Four pads of fresh churned Austrian butter sat beside the crescent pastry. The coyote's little sin.

"How do you .." The canid started, lower lip jumbling up the words even as they tumbled out of slack jaws.

"To answer your first question, you decided on Will instead of William because you don't want others to suspect you and Konrad are lovers. Will is a much more masculine name. Square set shoulders. A firm jaw. Everything that you have not." The cougar smiled at the delicate, trembling canid digits reaching for the bread and tea. "He still doesn't know that you've been competing with him since his friend Miles handed you the coal shovel, does he?"

The coyote shook his head and nibbled the croissant halfheartedly, small tears forming at the corners of his eyes. The black fur around his eyes hid them well. No one else in the cafe noticed them.

"So what brought you to Vienna, Will?" Drake asked before hooking a claw around his cup's handle and taking in another relaxing sip.

"Konrad received a telegram after my Uncle ..." his black tipped ears drooped, the words dying on his muzzle lips. The cougar just nodded, keeping a wicked smile at bay.

"Ah yes. Nasty business those pictures. And after the telegram?"

"It claimed to be from his father. Offering him work as a mechanic's apprentice here. While the offer was real, the sender wasn't. We found out later through one of the journeyman that Konrad's father died right before his mother gave birth to him in Cuxhaven. She died penniless."

"Ah. That is terrible news. A family split by tragedy and bad circumstances." Drake eyed William's reaction, emphasizing his ties with the wolf even while tearing them down. "But what do you do here in this great city?"

"I'm going to school."

"And how is that going?" Drake's eyes locked on William's own. The coyote seemed to pause again.

"Good. I'm in the top 15% percentile of my class." William slurped some tea, smeared butter on his bread. The cougar seemed unconvinced.

"When do you expect to graduate then? Next year?" Drake leaned against the stool's cool metal back. The coyote noshed on his croissant.

"Sometime after that." The cougar let the coyote finish his tea and snack. He closed his eyes and seemed to doze for a few minutes. "I might have to take a small leave for a bit."

"Finances getting a bit tight are they?"

"A bit. But I might pick up a night job at one of the Wineries. I hear the presses aren't that hard to use."

"You know. I bet you like a good vintage." The cougar peeked his eyes back open to spy William licking his buttery paw tips.

"I do."

"Then why don't I bring over a bottle for dinner this Wednesday. And Märzen for Konrad? Your place?" The corners of Drake's muzzle lips curled. Despite the tea, William licked his dry lips.

"I'd have to ask Konrad if ..." William caught himself when he realized he knew nothing of the strange cougar.

"If it's okay?" Drake finished for him. "Of course. I'll be by at six o'clock. And don't fret if I'm late. I tend to run behind. It always annoyed the Romanovs." He pulled out his pocket watch again and opened it with a soft click. "Speaking of which." The cougar turned his head to peer through the cafe's front window. Police had just dispersed the rowdy crowd. "I think its time I leave."

Drake turned back to nod graciously at the coyote before grabbing his ebony cane resting against the brick wall. With much effort the cougar slipped off his stool and limped out the door. William sat there with his book for a few minutes in a sort of catatonia. Only after realizing that Drake had neither said goodbye nor asked for directions to their home did William snap out of his daze.

The coyote left the cafe and hurried home. He waited up until nine o'clock for Konrad to come home but fell asleep at the dinner table waiting for him. Sometime around midnight someone crashed through the front door, startling the slumbering yote awake. It was just Konrad ... and a female wolf. Through bleary eyes, William could not mistake the strong whiff of booze rolling off the two.

"Hey Willi ... Will, wait up long?" The black wolf laughed, picking himself up. He helped straighten the giggling female wolf as well. He brushed off the soot from her work clothes when he realized who ended up doing most of the house cleaning. She nipped back at the way he fussed about her and giggled some more; an irritating, nasal laugh that reminded William of claws on chalkboard.

"Helga, this is my ..." The wolf paused, his inebriated mind fumbling for an introduction. "... roommate ... Willi ... Will!"

"Bitte?" the wolfess with beautiful streaks of white and black coursing through her gray fur blinked back. Konrad mashed his paw into his fuzzy forehead before repeating. This time in German. She looked the slender coyote up and down before whispering something into Konrad's black ear.

William glared at them when they both broke into peals of obnoxious laughter.

"Will, this is Helga. She works with me down in assembly." When the coyote just crossed his arms, Konrad licked his dry lips. "We went out for a drink or two, and its late. Do you mind if an unexpected guest stays with us for the night?" William's green eyes narrowed and he stormed over take his coat off the peg by the front door. He shot a look of daggers over to the two.

"Wir haben nür ein Bett, arschloch." He shoved his way past the two and slammed the front door behind him.

The despondent coyote wandered through the cold empty streets until well past dawn. He contemplated getting a room at an inn somewhere, but realized he didn't have enough money. Only after the bite of weariness and frost grew too much for his betrayed bones did the coyote make his way back home.

Much to his relief the apartment was empty. He made his hesitant way into the bedroom where he sniffed at the rumpled bedding. The covers smelled of the female wolf, but it was not a heat scent. The coyote frowned when he saw black smudges across the covers. He didn't know whether or not to be relieved that they didn't take off their clothes before passing out in bed. He threw the bedding into a hamper in disgust.

William curled up on the bare mattress, trying to still the feelings of hurt and betrayal long enough to let sleep overtake him. He didn't make it to classes that day, and gave Konrad the cold shoulder when the now meek wolf returned home later that night.

William chose not to tell Konrad about an unexpected guest for Wednesday's dinner.

November 10th, 1920

"So, whats the occasion?" Konrad said while taking his coat off at the front door. He glanced about to the newly purchased decorative lamp sitting near the table. The freshly polished silverware that William placed on the new table cloth sparkled in its bright kerosene glow. Konrad also noticed three wineglasses on the table. "We having someone over for dinner?"

"Yeah. Did I forget to tell you?" William mused and continued to set the table, not bothering to look up to the black wolf. "Do you mind if I have an unexpected guest for dinner?"

"Well I would have liked it if you would have asked ..." Konrad trailed off, realizing what this was about. The wolf walked over to the wash bucket and rolled up his dirty sleeves. He spent a long time trying to get the tar and oil from underneath the spaces between his paw pads and from under his claws. A few long minutes passed with neither speaking a word.

Once Konrad had cleaned his paws to minimal satisfaction his nose sniffed about the delicious aroma of soup hanging in the air. He stooped next to the iron pot hanging on the spit over the fire and stirred its contents. When he looked about ready to taste it, William came around and smacked his paw lightly.

"Arschficker. Paws out of the soup!" The coyote gave an annoyed growl. The wolf just grinned and wrapped the offending paws around his slim waist before nipping on the smaller canid's black tipped ear.

"Smells good. Almost as good as you. What is it?"

"Crab Bisque with Seabass." The coyote squirmed out of the wolf's embrace to check on the French bread warming next to the hearth.

"Sounds fancy." Konrad smiled.

"Well. The cougar coming over is used to first class dining. I don't want him to think we live like rabble. Now go change before he shows up."

Konrad shrugged and went into the bedroom to change into something finer. After stripping off his work coveralls he threw on a smoking coat that William bought him for last Yule. The wolf took a few minutes to scrub his face fur. He still couldn't get the factory smell out of his fur without a proper washing, but at least he looked halfway presentable. Konrad came back into the other room and watched William fuss about the small kitchen, straightening this or stirring that with obsessive zeal.

"So, who are you having over for dinner?"

"An old friend." William paused for a moment before remembering something. "Oh your friend Miles sent a card through the post. It's on the counter top." Konrad scratched the small of his back above his tail base while wandering over to it. He picked up the postcard and flicked it between his thumb and fore claw before reading it. "How is Miles?" William asked while dicing up some fresh chives.

"Good. He says the IRA is treating him well."

"How's their war going?"

"Good. They're giving the Black and Tans the 'good ol' one two' as he likes to say."

"Think they'll break from Great Britain?" The coyote scraped the chives off the cutting board into the bisque. "Be a dear and cut up the bread will you? Don't forget to cover it."

"Probably. With the military downsizing Germany's forced on the British Army, they don't have enough veterans to stem Ireland's independence movement." Konrad tucked the card into a drawer before taking the warm bread away from the side of the hearth. While his mate dished out the bisque, he cut up the bread and placed the slices into a covered bowl. "What time is your friend ...?" A sudden knock at the front door cut off Konrad's question.

"Want to get that hun?" William asked, setting out the bowls, almost as he if knew the exact moment his guest would arrive. Konrad dutifully skipped over to the door and opened it, expecting a complete stranger.

His blood ran cold when he saw a ghost. And yet ghosts appeared intangible. No, this was a memory. A paradoxical memory made of flesh standing before him. The wolf stood there, gawking at the yellow cougar leaning on his unforgettable walking cane. He cradled bottles of chilled white wine and lager in the crook of each arm.

"Good evening Konrad. Its good to see you again." Drake smiled, his fangs glinting like daggers in the bright glow of the new kerosene lamp. When the wolf said nothing, William stepped over and nudged the wolf in the ribs.

"Manners!" William put a hoarse whisper into his stunned mates ear before graciously taking the bottles from Drake. "Konrad, Drake. Drake, Konrad. I believe you both know each other." When the wolf refused to speak the coyote inspected the wine to break the uneasy silence. "An 1860 Riesling from Mosel?" He glanced back at Drake, a bit unsure. He helped the old feline with his heavy winter coat. It smelled like new. "Isn't this a bit expensive?"

"Oh no, Will. You can say that an old friend picked that up for me some years ago while in the area. I believe you saw him at the cafe." Drake nodded to the table, and William helped him take his seat. He waved a hesitant Konrad to sit as well, before passing the bread and butter.

"How did you know to pick a white wine?" William asked, letting the wolf adjust to the close proximity of the mysterious cougar. The last time Konrad saw Drake was aboard the failed torpedo attack on the Lusitania.

"I have uncanny intuition." Drake offered before dipping his spoon into the soup. He drew it up to his cracked lips and slurped gently. "Hmm ... delicious. It is good to see that hard times have not scoured the upbringing from you." William smiled at the polite compliment, but Konrad frowned.

"We do very well thank you very much. Better than most hard working folk." Konrad's left leg moved before William could kick its shin under the table.

"And it shows. The years have been good to you. You look twice as fit as you did the last time I saw you." Drake nodded to the obstinate wolf. "And its every factory worker's right to enjoy some full bodied drink after such long hours. Would you like to try some of the Märzen?"

William glanced at Konrad, who grabbed the lager and opened it. He drew it to his canid nose before taking a swig. William continued to butter his bread, watching the wolf never take his distrustful yellow eyes off the cougar.

"So. Would you care to explain what you were doing aboard the Lucy five years ago?"

"Traveling to London for a business trip."

"Funny. I didn't see you get off at Queenstown." Konrad snorted back. William dipped his bread into the soup before nibbling at it. His mate's lack of civil manners started to raise his hackles.

"If you remember, most of second class was in a hurry to get off the ship. It was a chaotic day."

"It could have been a lot worse. What was that you said? Time is the fire in which we burn?" Drake nodded at Konrad's question.

"It is. Every moment is precious. Waste it at your own peril, for you can never go back to it." The cougar took the white wine and opened it, letting it breath for a while. "But it pleases me to see that you two have stayed together for five years."

"Its been hard." The coyote sighed. The wolf shot the smaller canid a hurt look.

"Love always is." Drake smiled at the two before pouring some of the Riesling into the wineglasses. He raised his glass to the two. "A toast then. To ten more years."

The two canids looked at each other before picking up their glasses. The three clinked them before sipping the wine in contemplative thought. Konrad brought himself to try some of the bisque, and made a surprised face at the strong flavor.

"So what type of business do you work for?" William asked Drake between spoonfuls.

"The worst kind I'm afraid." Drake dotted his weathered muzzle lips with a folded napkin. "War." The two canids looked at him with perked ears.

"Not a good trade to be in right now." Konrad mused, taking another gulp of his lager to wash the flavor off his tongue. William put down his spoon.

"It never is. It's a damned bloody business. But when one works for a munitions company, its regrettably grim to hope for better sales." Drake drank some more wine. "I also hope that explains why I was down in the hold that night. I was simply making sure my goods were secure."

"So you did know we were in the ambulance." William blurted out. The cougar nodded.

"Yes. But I assure you, this old cat was not there to voyeur a young couple." He flashed a coy grin to the blushing pair. The three remained silent for a bit and ate some more, until the uncomfortable moment passed. William offered Drake the last piece of French bread, to which the feline politely declined.

"I'm afraid my appetite isn't what it used to be. I'm afraid too much travel has worn thin on me."

"Where have you been?" William's ears perked.

"From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli." Drake's feline ears flattened against the back of his skull with an overmodest grin. William's nose twitched as the remark touched off a song's memory, but one he could not recall. Konrad seemed unimpressed, even annoyed with the feline's vague answers.

"That's nice." The wolf dipped one of his claws into the neck of his lager's bottle, playing idly with it. "But that still doesn't explain anything. How do you know so much about William's family?" Konrad's stolid facial expression never faltered, even as William gave him a look of daggers.

"Konrad! How rude ..." Drake defused the situation with a dismissive flourish of his paw.

"No no no ... its quite all right, Will. I guess he is right. I do know a lot about your family. And its not a very snowy white relationship either." Drake admitted. Konard pushed the uneaten bisque away and leaned back into his wobbly wooden chair with a loud creak. The cougar inhaled and sighed softly. "Your family, up until recently anyway, built a good portion of America's warships. I simply stocked them with shells."

"So. Why didn't they mention you when William was back in America?" Konrad rapped the bottom of the glass bottle against the table, muted somewhat by its new table cloth.

"Does a family talk about the butcher during every meal?" The elder feline offered, finishing up the last of his wine. "Speaking of which, my compliments to the cook. It was exquisite." He dabbed his lips with the napkin again.

"Thank you." William blushed lightly, before cleaning off the table. Konard's eyes narrow at how mollified the normally spirited yote acted. He didn't like it. He didn't like it at all.

"And tonight was what, a chance to tell William his family is a bunch of opportunistic warmongering capitalists?" The wolf continued to stare down the older feline. The orphanage's nuns tried to impress on him how important it was to respect his elders. But Konrad felt something slippery about Drake. Something he couldn't pin his claw on.

"Actually, no. I came to see you, Konrad."

The wolf blinked a bit before tapping his claws on the tablecloth. William looked back at him while scrubbing the bowls off in the wash bucket. Drake folded his paws together on his chest before leaning back. The other two waited for the wolf to say something. Anything.

"Me?"

"That's right."

"About what?"

"An opportunity to help Will finish the remainder of his studies." Drake let the suggestion hang in the heavy air for a while. Konrad seemed to think some things over before taking his empty bottle and rinsing it out.

"And what does that entail?" Konrad leaned back against the icebox and folded his arms. While William dried the ceramic bowls with a ratty towel, his green eyes flicked back and forth between the two.

"You may not know this, Konrad, but your family has a prestigious history with the Austrian military. One of the lieutenant colonels from the Deutscher Krieg has set aside a small allowance should any Wagners enlist in Austria's standing army." Drake scratched at the table some, his brittle claws scraping the new linen. The wolf scratched his chin a bit.

"How much are we talking about?" Konrad asked.

"Three thousand Marks a month." Drake replied. William dropped the bowl he held and it shattered on the hardwood floor with a loud crash. A moment of shocked silence filled the room.

"And does that include base pay?" The wolf's claws twitched.

"No. You would still receive standard base pay, as well as any bonuses." Drake's slightly extended claws continued to scrape the linen. He watched for the coyote's reaction in his peripheral view. William still hadn't bothered to pick up the ceramic pieces at his hind feet.

"I'll think about it." Konrad answered with even composure. He didn't seem all that interested in the offer.

"What do you mean you will think about it?" William snapped. "Thats more than you make now."

"William ... stay out of ..."

"How long are you going to stay in that factory? How soon before you have an accident and lose a paw? How soon before they replace you with someone younger? They have no pension, no ..."

"William ... I said ..." Konrad continued to rumble in a low steady voice. He didn't want to lose his temper in front of Drake.

"This might be your chance to get back on the sea. You could join the navy!" The coyote flapped his excited muzzle lips until the wolf snapped at him with a growl.

"Tüpfchenscheisser! Just listen to what he said. Austria's standing army. Now ... shut ... up!"

William's tail tucked at the insult. Konrad drew in a deep inhale while trying to clam himself after the outburst. His raised hackles looked like quills till a trembling paw attempted to smooth them back down. Drake remained quiet with paws folded calmly over his chest. More uneasy silence filled the room. In the five years since Konrad asked for William's mate ship, he had not once lost his temper with him. Till now.

"If I may say, it seems like you've already thought about it." Drake offered, retracting his claws and tapping his paw tips against the table top.

"Who doesn't?" Konrad refolded his arms again. "Its job security with steady pay. Veterans are also the first to get hired, the last to be fired. But with the end of the war, it doesn't make sense to enlist. Europe is at peace."

"On the contrary," Drake jabbed his index claw into the table, "It was an uneasy peace. The Empire may have claimed victory, but it settled for armistice. Its enemies may be war weary, but I assure you they rebuild even as we speak. Another war will come. Have no delusions about that."

"I have no desire to wage war." It was only then that Konrad knelt down to pick up the shattered pieces of the bowl. William just turned around and went back to cleaning up. The coyote kept an open ear on the conversation however.

"Who said anything about waging war? Austria needs her Volkswehr now more than ever. Even as we speak the instigators of the Great War, Serbian rebels, strike at Belgrade. How soon before anarchists spark another world war? The lands of Austria must be protected. If not for her sake, then for the Empire!"

Drake relaxed back into the chair with a creak as though the sudden outburst exhausted him. If the patriotic speech stirred the wolf, Konrad made no sign of it. He continued to pick up the pieces on the floor.

"I appreciate you coming to dinner tonight and letting me know of the offer, but I'm going to have to think about it. Now. If you don't mind its late and I have to work early in the morning." Konrad replied flatly, still trying to calm himself after his earlier outburst. "William. Please show our guest out."

The coyote's ears straightened, his tail bristling as though he wanted to correct the wolf. After a moment he thought better of it, and the black tips of his coat smoothed. Only Drake noticed. With begrudging obedience, William stopped what he was doing and showed Drake to the door. As he helped the older feline with his coat he whispered apologies for Konrad's rudeness.

"I'm sorry Drake. We had a fight two nights ago, and I think he's still upset over it."

"It's okay Will. If he changes his mind, just tell him to speak with Feldwebel Heimerman at the Kriegsministerium." The cougar smoothed over his new coat and inspected his pockets, as if checking to make sure he didn't leave anything behind. William lingered by the door until the older feline started to shamble out.

"Drake ... will I ... will we ... ever see you again?" The coyote asked with timid hesitation. Drake turned to him, smiling.

"I would say its only a matter of time." Drake turned and limped down the narrow stairway, the knocks of his ebony cane echoing about. "Goodnight Will." William closed the door and turned back to Konrad, who still knelt in the same spot despite having all the ceramic pieces in his paws.

"Are you okay, love?" William asked, worried. Konard didn't answer him right away.

"Es ist verschmutzung ..." the black wolf said, looking down at the floor at nothing in particular.

November 14th, 1920

William lay in his bed, reading by candle light and relaxing after a lazy Saturday. He had spent most of the day working on some engineering assignments while watching his study partner Adolf paint portions of the Donaukanal in Leopoldstadt. Afterwards they sat on the levies and watched on in fascination as orthodox Jews shuffled between synagogues during Shabbat. William had always liked that about Vienna. It seemed like home for many different cultures and religions, some practiced since earliest history.

Now the coyote paged through The Man of the Forest, his mind drifting back to memories of America. Someone smuggled this particular copy out of Canada, a dangerous game now with the international embargo and quarantine. William closed his eyes, romanticizing his childhood on a different continent, a different culture, a different time.

The squeak of the opening bedroom door startled the coyote, and his green eyes fluttered open to the shadow in the doorway. It plodded toward the broken dresser, pealing off parts to itself. The strong odor of diesel fumes and metal grit met the coyote's quivering nose.

"How was work?" The coyote asked, sitting up in bed. The rough patches of the bare thread quilt slid over his naked fur. In the flickering candle light, Konrad turned his bloodshot eyes over to him. The weary wolf rubbed his sore back after stripping naked next to the bed.

"Over with." Came the terse reply. The wolf pulled up the corner of the quilt and slipped under the covers as the slim coyote made what little room he could for him. "I'm sorry I didn't wash up. I'm too tired."

"Its okay," William whispered into the dirty ear. "I'll just wash the bedding again." His slender paw felt its way up Konrad's broad chest, feeling the dried sweat matting the fur there. He pushed his nose into the wolf's armpit and inhaled his mate's musk, murring with contentment. The decidedly masculine scent sent a shiver up the coyote's spine. A tingle in his uncovered sheath followed.

William missed Konrad. He didn't get to see him much now that Konrad's factory instigated mandatory overtime. His poor black wolf pushed over eighty hours in any given work week. The coyote kissed his wolf's muzzle lips, tasted bitter oil. The taste of a mechanic on his lips drove the tingle into a flush, and the yote's tip poked out of his sheath.

"You sound even more tired than usual" William pecked small kisses down Konrad's jawline, trying not to let his racing arousal get alway lest Konrad wasn't up to it.

"No. It was just ... there was an accident on the assembly floor. One of the chains holding up an engine block snapped." Konrad closed his eyes, his paw rubbing the coyote's bare backside. It was nice to feel his mate close to him again. The wolf hugged the slim coyote next to him and felt something poke him in the side. It wasn't altogether unpleasant.

"Oh my God! Was anyone hurt?" William's eyes widened.

"The block rolled over Helga. It broke her leg, but that's all."

"That's all! How can you say something like that?"

"It didn't kill her for one. And the lead says once she's fine they'll hire her back." Konrad exhaled, already on the cusp of sleep. His eyelids drooped.

"And this doesn't bother you?" By the light of the candle, William studied the unconcerned expression on his mate's muzzle, confused.

"Should it? She knew the risks of working assembly. A lot of the other guys used to give her a hard time for not manning the office. But she's a tough one. Never cared for that sort of work. Why you ask?" Konrad peeked an eye open to look sideways at William.

"I just thought ... you two had something together." William's body trembled lightly, trying not to anger the wolf. Instead Konrad laughed, his entire body in spastic fits now.

"Why on God's green earth would you think that?"

"Because you two came home drunk together and ..." William's muzzle lips flapped now, his unresolved insecurities spilling unchecked. Konrad rubbed his ears.

"We didn't do anything, and I'm sorry. I was drunk and wasn't thinking straight. I had a crazy notion we would all fit on the bed." The corners of his muzzle lips curled. "One big warm pile." Konrad watched in amusement as William's canid ears perked at the implication. The bashful coyote dodged the implication through a hot blush.

"So what did you and her laugh about then?"

"She thought you looked a bit skinny. Like if she looked at you wrong it might break you like a toothpick." The wolf licked his mate's nose.

"And you thought that was funny?" The coyote grumbled. Konrad could almost taste William's gall.

"Well, it was an inside joke her and I have about some of the assembly leads ..." He shook his head. "And I'm sorry I introduced you as my roommate and not as my mate. I haven't told her yet. But I think she got the idea when she realized we sleep in the same bed."

The guard hairs on William's back bristled for a moment, then relaxed. Konrad smoothed them down with his paw. They laid there in silence for a while with William's paws wandering up and down Konrad's sweat forged physique. The wolf rumbled lightly when the coyote's playful claw circled one of his nipples. Encouraged by the soft growl, William planted his muzzle lips around it. Konrad tensed and groaned when the coyote flicked the tip of his tongue over the perked bud. The wolf didn't know if the coyote tried to reassert his territory over insecurity or competition.

It was always hard to tell with William.

Konrad felt himself harden as William suckled on him, his sheath tightening as the coyote's nimble paw slid up and down his well defined body. He gasped lightly when William's paw gripped his sheath, the thumb pad playing with the moist tip now emerging. The wolf could tell his mate wanted him, and exhaustion be damned. Just as Konrad felt the rational portion of his mind slip into a more primordial state, William removed his muzzle from the wolf's chest.

"I want you to stop working there. One of these days something is going to happen, and I'm going to lose you." Will's paw squeezed Konrad's sheath for emphasis. "And I cant have that. I like your knob too much."

"So. This is your plan?" Konard whimpered as William's thumb pad slipped back and forth over his slick tapered tip. "To erregen me? Then once I'm struck stupid convince me to find other work?"

"Oh, I'll put you to work all right."

William slid underneath the quilt to climb on top of the wolf. As his slender legs straddled Konrad's thighs, his bushy tail weaved and tickled the wolf's hind claws. Konrad looked at the space between their conjoined hips and in the candlelight their pink rigid shafts glistened. William rolled his hips a bit and their sheaths rubbed a bit, his black tipped ears pinning back against his skull. The coyote whined when his paw grabbed both of their slick shafts and slipped their tips against each other.

Konrad's own muzzle tilted up, his muzzle split open in a soft moan. His slitted yellow eyes looked back between them, watched as small beads of arousal dripped from their tips. His paws slipped up William's arms to roam over the coyote's slender chest. The yote gasped in delight when the lupine's claw tips grazed his sensitive nips.

"Ahhh!" William whined, shuddering as he dripped onto Konrad's belly fur.

"Am I earning my keep?" The wolf rumbled, continuing to pinch the yote's nipples between his thumb and index pads. William took him slightly off guard when he scooted forward, the coyote's furry sac sliding over Konrad's exposed sex. As William pushed off the quilt, his tail raised up high. The coyote wasted no time in reaching back and placing his wolf's tip up against his pucker, resting his weight forward on his knees somewhat.

"Impatient are we?" The black wolf mused with an amused rumble. William just nodded as he rested back, letting the wolf's tip part his tail hole and sink into his ass with a satisfied groan.

"Yeeeahhh ..." William let out a deep, drawn out moan as he took the wolf all the way up inside himself. He felt Konrad slide inch after wonderful inch into his ass, pausing a moment to rock as the thicker parts of the wolf rubbed up against his prostate. He rolled his hips then, letting the lupine length tease that sensitive part deep inside himself. He rested his paws on Konrad's chest and bucked his hips, watching as his own hard length spurted with each thrust. "Just ... promise me ... you'll find work some where else?"

"That depends." Konrad growled as William started to ride up and down his shaft, the hypnotizing yote cock bobbing before his nose. "Do we get to do this more often?" William just nodded, too busy tilting his head back and closing his green eyes in pleasure to answer.

William started to roll his hips with each downward thrust now, his tail thumping their bed hard each time Konrad's growing knot sent a hard jolt up through his spine. The wolf's claws dug into the soft fur of the coyote's hips, forcing the yote down on his shaft even as he met his lover's thrust with each of his own. When Konrad's paw crept between them to grasp William's bobbing length, the coyote surprised him by pushing his paw away.

"N ... no ... I wanna ... cum from just you .. inside me ..." William panted in frantic whisper, opening his green eyes and looking down at the prone wolf. He slowed his pace, leaned back a bit to drag Konrad's orb back and forth over his own swelling lump deep inside himself.

"You think ... you are going to?" Konrad asked, a little relieved he didn't have to exert himself anymore tonight. His lover continued to ride him, nice and slow. His knot started to lock in the coyote's ass, tugging with each gentle rock. He knew he was too tired to make this into a marathon.

"Yea .. yeah ... " William whimpered, his eyes sealing shut as he concentrated on that wonderful feeling gliding against his insides. He felt his prostate clench against huge knot swelling, grinding against it. The coyote leaned back even more, his paws now clamped backwards on the wolf's shins for balance. His shaft pointed up toward the ceiling, swaying back and forth even as small drips of thick cum dripped from its slit. "I'm so close ... just ... a little more ..."

"Ohhhh ... Will .... you feel soo good ..." Konard moaned, watching the base of his knot tug on the coyote's clenched ring. Past the yote's balls, the wolf felt him tighten around his knot. His sharp claws dug into the soft fur and flesh of William's thighs. The pressure made Konrad throw his head back, giving the howl of no return. A few seconds later he let loose inside the coyote, filling him with a hot gush.

William felt his lover spurt his seed, only adding to the slick, erotic feeling slipping inside him. He bore down on the freshly lubed length inside of him and tilted his hips to mash the knot against the lump above his balls on the next downward thrust. His eyes sealed again, and with a long dragged out yelp it squashed the cum from him. An eruption of coyote cum gushed out of the tip now slapping against his belly to run down the sides of his own knot.

The coyote didn't stop riding the wolf for almost a minute after the initial gush, his clenching prostate still pumping long after his sacks ran dry. Once William felt the last tremors calm deep inside himself he fell forward on top of his lover's chest. A huge lake of cooling spunk pooled between them, soaking into their fur. They would have to bath before going to work and class in the morning, or risk outing themselves with the tale tell musk of spilled seed on each other.

Somehow they doubted society would approve, not in these times yet anyway.

"Hmmm ..." William murred out, nuzzling into the black fur of his wolf's chest.

"Satisfied yet?" Konrad whispered out, his muzzle lips sluggish and his eyelids heavy with sleep.

"Not until you promise to work somewhere else." The coyote licked his mate's cheek tenderly, but his tone implied filibuster on the issue. Konrad barely had enough energy to stay conscious, let alone argue. Whoever said that coyote's weren't sly needed to have their head examined. Konrad's body drifted off, sated with sex and warmth. That bath would have to wait for the morning.

"Fine. I'll do it. I'll do it for you." The black wolf kissed his mate on the muzzle lips.

The coyote's tail swished about with coy manipulation before William too settle down back to sleep. They snuggled against each other's nude forms throughout the rest of the night, thankful to be with each other ...

_ ~ Fin Part II ~ _